Arkansas right hander Will McEntire will make his first SEC start Thursday night at Alabama.
McEntire (1-1, 1.96 ERA) has started four nonconference games this season in midweek play. He made his debut in an SEC game on May 8 at Auburn and has allowed 1 earned run and 5 hits in 6 1/3 innings in conference play.
McEntire, a redshirt sophomore, recorded a three-inning save in Arkansas’ 11-6 victory over Vanderbilt last weekend.
By starting McEntire, Arkansas’ No. 1 starter Connor Noland will have a full week of rest between starts. Noland (5-3, 3.38) started last Friday’s game against Vanderbilt. The Razorbacks will start sophomore right hander Jaxon Wiggins (6-2, 5.31) on Saturday.
Wiggins will pitch on six days of rest. He allowed 2 earned runs, 4 hits and 1 walk, and struck out 8 in 4 1/3 innings of a 7-inning loss to Vanderbilt last Sunday.
Freshman left hander Hagen Smith is being held out of the starting rotation for the first time this season. Smith (6-2, 4.34) has struggled to go deep into games in recent weeks. His 2 2/3-inning start against Vanderbilt last week was his second-shortest start of the season.
Arkansas is changing its three-game rotation for the first time this season. Noland, Smith and Wiggins have started in order in each of the Razorbacks' previous 11 three-game series, as well as a three-game set at the Round Rock Classic.
The only time they did not start in that order was during a March 10-13 series against Illinois-Chicago, which included a doubleheader on the first day and a snow day between games.
Alabama will start junior right hander Garrett McMillan (4-4, 3.51) on Thursday, senior right hander Jacob McNairy (5-2, 4.60) on Friday and sophomore left hander Grayson Hitt (4-3, 5.02) on Saturday.